


Disclosure

by A Magiluna Stormwriter (ariestess)



Category: China Beach
Genre: F/F, F/M, Post-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-08-11
Updated: 2006-08-11
Packaged: 2017-11-06 07:25:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/416253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ariestess/pseuds/A%20Magiluna%20Stormwriter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>KC receives a revelation she never expected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Disclosure

**Author's Note:**

> Date: 5 July - 11 August 2006  
> Word Count: 2446  
> Series: Light, Water, Muses  
> Summary: KC receives a revelation she never expected.  
> Warnings: AU, people. This is pure speculation and may go against series canon. Fucking deal. The whole of LWM goes against most series' canon.  
> Website: ShatterStorm Productions – Light, Water, Muses  
> Archive: ShatterStorm Productions only…all others ask for permission & we'll see…
> 
> Disclaimer: "China Beach," the characters and situations depicted are the property of Warner Bros. Television, Sacret Inc., CBS, etc. They are borrowed without permission, but without the intent of infringement. This site is in no way affiliated with "China Beach," CBS, or any representative of the actors.
> 
> Author’s Disclaimer: Jesse and Tiny belong to ShatterStorm Productions and are the creations of A. Magiluna Stormwriter and Shatterpath. They also belong in the Light, Water, Muses universe, tho’ this is a standalone within the whole of that universe.
> 
> Author’s Notes: This was written based on the "China Beach, KC/McMurphy, red" prompt over at the [](http://femslash-today.livejournal.com/profile)[**femslash_today**](http://femslash-today.livejournal.com/) [4th of July porn wars](http://community.livejournal.com/femslash_today/23265.html). I took that basic concept and expanded upon it within the LWM universe. It took forever to write, but I think it was worth the effort in the end…
> 
> This story currently marks the furthest in the future of all the stories and/or reverberations. I feel very special… *veg*
> 
> Dedication: To my muses. I’d be nowhere without them.

  


(09-28-2006)

Ever wake up and just know it's going to be one of those days?

Four-fucking-thirty in the morning, and I find myself sitting straight up in bed as if I've been poked by the Devil himself. No idea what caused it, but I'm instantly awake and nudging Tiny. Unable to help the small smile at his ability to be instantly awake, no matter what the circumstances, thanks to our stint in 'Nam, I stand and begin pacing.

"Get the plane ready, Bubba," I finally say when I feel his stare heavily following me. "We're hitting New York."

I can picture that elegant eyebrow of his rising in curiosity, but he doesn't question me. Slipping into his robe, he pads out of the room as silently as a ninja, and leaves me to my thoughts. I'm not a morning person; I never have been, even back in my Army days. And after only a couple of hours of sleep? My business, my life, takes place once the sun's gone down. You do the fucking math…

Reaching for my cell phone, I hit the speed dial and wait. I know I'm gonna get my ass kicked for this call, but I'm not leaving the city without taking every precaution. It's not like I know how long we'll be gone, you know? The mumbled reply on the other end makes me grin.

"Ass outta bed, Mel m'girl," I tease gruffly. "Time to start your day."

"'s better fucking be good, old man," she growls back. "Thirteen hours of hell and just got to bed."

I wince at her muttered description, still proud of what she does. "Let me talk to Jane, honey, and you can get back to sleep."

She mumbles something, and I grin when I hear the muffled slap before Jane mutters her own hello. "Jesse? Something wrong?"

"Not sure yet," I reply honestly. "I just got this feeling that I need to be in the Big Apple today, so we're flying out. Not sure when the hell we'll be back, but I'll call you when I know more of what's going on."

Jane starts to say something, but stops when Mel starts murmuring something. "Mel says to make sure KC knows that we'll do anything she needs us to."

"Thanks," I say, getting suddenly choked up. "I'm sure she'll appreciate the offer."

*****

"Yeah?"

"Jesse, I need your help."

It's not often that I've ever heard the mighty Archangel Michael asking for assistance. Particularly in that almost desperate tone.

"Send a car to meet us in a couple hours, Grace," I reply gently, trying to cover my own anxieties that have ratcheted in intensity since answering her call. "We're just about to the airport, and then it's just a matter of taking off."

"How did you know?"

"I didn't. I bolted awake and had to go." I take a deep breath, dreading the answer to my next question. "How's she doing?"

There's a long pause before she answers, and I can picture the look of concentration on her face as she tries to decide what to say. "I don't know. She's completely beside herself."

"What's happened?"

"Pai said she got a package yesterday and pretty much just holed up at that point. She let Pai and Boot bring her something to eat, but that was it. Pai was pretty tweaked to see KC in tears, and she called Gabe. He's been with KC ever since. All I got out of him was that she needed you and Tiny."

I nod and sigh. "If she needs us that bad, it's gotta be something from 'Nam," I finally reply. "Yeah, let her know we'll be there ASAP."

*****

When we pull up to the house, I'm glad I'd gotten a little shut eye on the plane. It wasn't the best of sleep, but it was sleep nonetheless. Ben already said it was more important we get in to see KC than worry about stowing our shit anywhere. So when he stops the car, I take off for the front door and up the steps to KC's bedroom. I know Tiny'll be right behind me. Out of what feels like a lifetime of respect, I knock lightly on the door and wait for permission to enter her bedroom.

"What the fuck took you so long, boy?" she growls upon yanking the door open. Her hair is disheveled and there are dark circles under her red-rimmed eyes. If I didn't know any better, I'd be teasing her about smoking too much weed. But I know better than to tease her when she's so upset.

Seeing the indomitable KC Koloski looking so haggard and old is a sobering experience. And all I can do is pull her close in a tight bear hug. "I came as soon as I could, KC," I murmur in a husky tone. "Hell, I was practically on my plane before Fenris even called. I knew I had to be here, and I did what I could to get here for you."

She leans back to study me with that critical eye I remember well enough to think that over thirty years have just melted away. She offers me a watery smile before curling against my chest again. She's quiet for a long moment, and I glance over at Gabe and Ian, both watching her like a pair of wary hawks. With a grateful grin, I motion them toward the door. Neither man would ever admit to it, but they're showing signs of extreme fatigue. I've learned to read fellow soldiers pretty damned well over the years, and these men are no different than the guys I served with in 'Nam. Ian doesn't drop his stoic mask, but Gabe smiles gratefully at me as they pass us by. I return the smile, letting it grow broader when I sense Tiny has arrived.

"Come on, KC," I rumble softly, tugging her tiny frame closer to the bed. "Let's have a sit down and you fill me in on what spooked you bad enough to scare Fenris."

She snorts, a choked tearful sound, but lets me pull her down onto the mattress anyway. "Where the fuck do I start?" she finally mutters.

"Where you need to," Tiny replies in a gentle tone. It rewards my giant of a lover with one of her grateful, dazzling smiles.

KC grips his arm, just anchoring herself to the two of us. She goes quiet for a moment or two, before moving to pull at a box further back on the bed. I can see an envelope and some red material inside, but I can't make any connections to these items and her reactions.

"Do you remember this dress?" she finally asks, pulling the small scrap of red out of the box. I can feel the broad grin spreading across my face as I remember the hot little number she used to traipse around China Beach in. The color was, is, and always will be her best color; despite the fact that she's redhead, she still pulls it off beautifully. When we'd set up the four suits, the only reason she'd taken the Spades was because of the military connotations to that particular symbol. I'm brought back from my musings by a sharp slap to the back of my head. "Pay attention, boy," she growls good-naturedly "I don't need your dick controlling your brain, damn it!"

Not bothering to hide my sheepish grin, I press a sloppy kiss to her cheek. "My dick belongs to one woman, and you know it," I reply and receive a pair of derisive snorts from KC and Tiny.

"I should beat you for that, but you'd probably like it," she retorts with a chuckle and swipes at her eyes.

"So what's with the old dress and the kimono," I finally ask softly. "It's been more than half my life since I last saw you wearing either of these things."

"I thought I'd lost them in the evacuation from China Beach. I knew I didn't have them when I hit Hong Kong, that's for sure."

Tiny stretches a hand forward, almost reverently stroking the red fabric. "This dress brought many a smile to my face after the hell Jesse and me dealt with in the 'copter. I always knew, no matter what we saw out in the field, you'd be there to make us smile and forget the devastation, even just for a few minutes." He pauses for just a moment, studying her face. "Who else has left us?" he finally asks.

"Colleen," is all KC whispers.

It takes me a minute to realize who she's talking about. "McMurphy's gone?" To say I'm stunned is an understatement. "She's always been as healthy as an ox!" The minute the words have left my mouth, I'm already regretting them. "Ah fuck, KC, I'm sorry. I'm being an ass."

She shakes her head at me. "Well, she always was healthy as a fucking ox, wasn't she?" she replies bitterly. "Right up until the aneurysm got her. She didn't have the addiction, did she? She wasn't the one fucking everything that so much as looked at her. She didn't get pregnant and just toss the kid aside like a used condom. And yet she's the one dead and I'm fucking still here. And that god damned fucking stubborn bitch never told me when we still had a fucking chance."

As her tirade winds up, arms flailing in obvious agitation, I glance at Tiny and motion toward the box in her lap. He nods, our silent communication still working after damned near forty years together. In one fluid movement, I scoop up the box as Tiny wraps KC in an encompassing bear hug from behind. Yeah, she struggles against it, but only because she doesn't like giving in. The box is dumped on the nightstand and we stretch out across her California king-sized bed, sandwiching between us this tiny dynamo of a woman we adore utterly. It doesn't take long for the tears to begin soaking through the thin cotton of my t-shirt.

"Did you know that she was instrumental in getting me off the heroin?" she finally says in a soft, fond tone.

"I remember that," Tiny replies, absently stroking her hair. "Right around Tet in '68, wasn't it?" When KC nods, he smiles. "So glad to see you two were okay after all that shit going down. You know, you were in pretty rough shape for a while there. Nobody wanted to be anywhere near you. And there were a lot of anxious, horny soldiers, too. Think I patched up more broken noses from fights while you were getting clean than in a good year otherwise."

My eyebrows lift at this story. It's one of the memories that these two shared without me, considering I hadn't hit 'Nam till later in '69, thanks to the draft. I'd no more than turned 18 and had to report in for my physical and shit.

"You boys always were so loyal, weren't you?" KC chuckles, reaching back to pat his cheek. "Whole country full of whores and you all waited on me while I was wishing I was dead."

"We weren't the only ones," he replies softly. "You meant a lot to that whole place, not just the GIs wandering through. McMurphy knew that. Why you think she wanted you off that crap?"

KC shifts to face Tiny. "You're a real pain in my ass, Bubba, you know that?"

He chuckles, a deep rumbling sound that I've always adored, like an earthquake of the heart. "And I intend to be for a damned long time, geisha girl."

"Geishas are Japanese, smartass," she retorts and smacks his arm. Tiny simply shrugs and leans over to smack a sloppy kiss on her cheek, earning an undignified girly-giggle from KC.

We settle into the bed, just laying there for long moments of semi-peaceful silence. I can feel there's something I'm missing here, but I don't want to ruin KC's brief calm to bring it up. I hope she'll just fall asleep, finally get the rest she's been denying herself in her grief. I think I very nearly get my wish, but she grips the collar of Tiny's t-shirt tightly.

"Do you know what upsets me the most about Colleen's death?" she finally asks, but doesn't wait for us to reply. "You both know me well enough to know that I'm pretty damned much an arrow. Yeah, I've trained lots of girls over the years, but I've never really gotten out of it what I've gotten out of the boys. There's only one woman I ever even vaguely felt anything for…and I never knew I had a chance until it was too late. I'd have taken a shot at a relationship with Colleen, you know? But she had to wait until she was dead to let me know how she felt." She sniffs and scrubs at her face. "Hell, I'd probably have a better relationship with my kid if Colleen had given me half a chance."

"That's a copout, KC," I murmur. "You've always got the chance to make amends with your daughter, you just have to want it bad enough to do it. And I think Colleen's death is a good enough reason. I mean, didn't you tell me she delivered Karen?"

"I hate you," she mutters without much venom.

"It wouldn't take much to dig her up, KC."

She shakes her head. "No, I don't think I can do that. She doesn't need me, Jesse. I'm just the vessel that brought her into the world. She's got a fuck of a lot better life than I could have given her."

"You're a chicken shit, KC Koloski. You always told me to be honest as much as I could and face whatever shit was placed in front of me. And what do you do when you're faced with your own shit? You turn tail and hide. You're a fucking chicken shit. She wouldn't have looked for you if she didn't want anything to do with you. And how do you think I felt, having to lie to the girl like that, just to protect you?"

She whips around to pin me with that patented Koloski glare, and I return it calmly without blinking. Just about at the point I expect to be slapped, she surprises me and bursts into tears again. Great, wrenching sobs signal the depths of her mourning, her despair. Whether it's over Colleen or her daughter, I can't fathom, but I simply pull her close again and give her the strength she needs.


End file.
